On the nature of difficulties in spatial-perceptual tasks

Ethnic and sex differences

Bibliographic Data

ID5266887
AuthorsGustav Jahoda (University of Strathclyde, corresponding author)
Year1979
Volume70
Issue3
Pages351-363
Publication date1979-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-1269 • E-ISSN: 2044-8295
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.2044-8295.1979.tb01705.x
PMID486874
OpenAlexW2080060125
LanguageEN
Citations received18

The common claim that Africans exhibit a general weakness in handling spatial relationships is questioned, as is that of a general male superiority. The aim of the study was to identify some of the specific areas in which ethnic and sex differences may be located. A sample of 72 Ghanaian children evenly divided according to sex and early, middle and later stages of primary schooling were administered a series of tasks adapted from Piaget & Inhelder (1971); the same tasks were given to an equivalent group of Scottish children. On a block construction task involving memory the Ghanaians performed at the same level as the Scots when working from models, but not when the presentation consisted of photographs or line drawings (P< 0.001). On two tasks requiring mental rotation of shapes and, subsequently, the actual assembly of shapes into regular figures, the Ghanaians again experienced more difficulty (P< 0.001). Intercorrelation of scores on the various tasks suggested that the underlying structures of abilities may differ in Ghana and Scotland. The pattern of sex differences was exactly the same in both cultures. Girls did less well with the block construction (P< 0.001), but there was no significant sex difference on mental rotation or shape assembly

Cognition · Developmental psychology · Ethnic group · Linguistics · Mental Rotation · Perception · Scots · Spatial Ability · Task (project management) · Working memory · Categorization, perception, and language · Psychology · Spatial Cognition and Navigation

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